Profile of New Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL PAUL DIKE

DSS psc (+) fwc MSc CFR

http://www.nigerianairforce.net/meet_cas.htm

(FORMER)CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF

NIGERIAN AIR FORCE

Air Marshal Paul Dike hails from Issele-Uku in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State. He had his primary education at St Barnabas Primary School, Ilorin and then went to Ogbomosho Grammar School, Oyo state. Paul joined the Nigerian Defence Academy on 22 January 1973 as an officer cadet. He was granted a regular combatant commission into the Nigerian Air Force as Pilot Officer on 21 June 1975.

PROMOTION LADDER

Pilot Officer Paul Dike was promoted Flying Officer on 22 January 19 77 and became Flight Lieutenant on 22 January 1981. By 22 July 1985, Paul Dike was promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader. Six year later, on 22 January 1991, he became a Wing Commander. He was promoted to the rank of Group Captain on 22 January 1996. Thereafter, he attained the rank of Air Commodore on 22 January 2001, the rank he held until 22 January 2004 when he was elevated to the rank of Air Vice Marshal.

The 15th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) was promoted to Air Marshal on 30 May 2006, the same day he was appointed CAS.

COURSES ATTENDED

Air Marshal Dike attended several courses at home and abroad. Some of these include, Primary Flying Training at 301 Flying Training School, Kaduna on the Piaggio and Bulldog Aircraft and thereafter proceeded to Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma in the United States for the Undergraduate Pilot Training.

Subsequently, he went back for the Instructor Pilot Training at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. He is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, Alabama, USA. The Chief of the Air Staff also attended the MB -339 Tactical Conversion Course and the L-39 Tactical Recurrency Training in Italy and Czechoslovakia respectively. Thereafter, he proceeded to National War College, Abuja. Air Marshal Dike has flown several combat aircraft in the Nigerian Air Force inventory and abroad. Some of these include, Piaggio, Bulldog, Cessna, T-37 Jet Trainer, T-38 Super Sonic, Mig 15, Mig 17, Mig 21, L-29, L-39, MB-339, and the Alpha Jet.

APPOINTMENTS HELD

Air Marshal Paul Dike has held several appointments. He was the Staff Officer (1) Operations, Headquarters, Tactical Air Command. Later, he became an Instructor Pilot at the Operational Conversion Unit of Mig 21, a position which enabled him to be involved in so many Armed Recce Operations in sustenance of our National Defence Objectives, Subsequently, he moved to 303 Flying Training School, Kano as the Chief Flying Instructor. Thereafter, he was appointed Commander, NAF station Yola and later deployed as Commander ECOMOG Air Detachment in Freetown, Sierra Leone. On completion of his tour of duty, he moved to Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji as a Directing Staff.

Air Marshal Dike was also the Commander, National Air Defence Corps and Airport Commandant, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. He was later appointed Deputy Director, Plans at Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force. Thereafter, he was posted to 303 Flying Training School, Kano as Commander. Subsequently, he was appointed Commander, Presidential Air Fleet. He was the Director of Operations at Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force and later moved to Headquarters, Training Command, Kaduna as the Air Officer Commanding. From Kaduna, Air Marshal Paul Dike was posted to Tactical Air Command, Makurdi as the Air Officer Commanding, a position he held until 30 May 2006 when he was appointed the 15th Chief of the Air Staff.

HONOURS AND DECORATIONS

Air Marshal Paul Dike is the recipient of the National Honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR). He was given the most outstanding Air Force Officer award for 1996 and the Chief of the Air Staff award for excellence at the National War College, Abuja. Some other medals and decorations received by the Air Marshal Paul Dike include: FSS, MSS DSS psc (+) fwc. He also holds a Masters Degree (Msc) in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan.

HOBBY

He is a keen Tennis player.

MARITAL STATUS

The CAS is happily married.

Profile of Nigeria’s New Military Service Chiefs

New Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike (left) with former Chiefs of Defence Staff Generals Agwai and Azazi.

Yar’Adua appoints new service chiefs

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article01//indexn3_html?pdate=210808&ptitle=Yar’Adua%20appoints%20new%20service%20chiefs&cpdate=210808

• Dike replaces Azazi as Defence boss

• Army: Maj-Gen. Dambazau

• Navy: Vice Admiral Iko Ibrahim

• Air Force: Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin
  From Martins Oloja, Abuja Bureau Chief

AIR Vice Marshal Paul Dike emerged as the new Chief of Defence Staff yesterday as President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua continued the restructuring of government machinery.

Dike, hitherto the Chief of Air Staff, replaces Gen. Andrew Owoeye Azazi who should have retired last year.

New service chiefs also emerged yesterday as confirmed by Presidential spokesman Segun Adeniyi to State House correspondents.

In the new dispensation approved by the President who went to Saudi Arabia yesterday for the lesser Hajj, Maj. Gen. A. Dambazau from Kano State is the new Chief of Army Staff. He was until yesterday the General Officer Commanding 2nd Division, of the Army in Ibadan. He replaced the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Luka Yusuf, who was also to have retired earlier.

The new Chief of Air Staff is Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin. He was Air Officer Commanding Nigeria Air Force Training Command, Kaduna. Vice Admiral Isaiah Iko Ibrahim is the new Chief of Naval Staff, replacing. Vice Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye, who should have retired too since last year.

The Service Chiefs Retreat earlier scheduled for Kaduna today has been postponed as a result of the changes in the military command structure.

It was confirmed last night that Yar’Adua and the Defence Minister, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, met yesterday with the former service chiefs before the announcement of the changes.

It was not clear last night whether the President will present the names of the new service chiefs to the National Assembly for confirmation as required by the Armed Forces Act.

Specifically, Section 18 of the Army Forces Act CAP A20 Laws of the Federation, 2004 provides that (1): Appointments of Service Chiefs, etc. – The President, may after consultation with the Chief of Defence Staff and subject to confirmation by the National Assembly, appoint such officers (in this Act referred to as ” the Service Chiefs”) as he thinks fit, in whom the command of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as the case may be, and their Reserves shall be vested.

(2) The Service Chiefs shall be known-

(a) in the case of the Nigerian Army, as the Chief of Army Staff

(b) in the case of the Nigerian Navy, as the Chief of Navy Staff; and

(c) in the case of the Air Force, as the Chief of Air Staff.

Former Chief of Defence Staff General Owoye Andrew Azazi

Controversy began on this turf recently following a disclosure in military circles and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that all the Service Chiefs appointed throughout the eight-year tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo including the ones approved by Yar’Adua and all the actions taken by them via various Councils were illegal, null and void.

Reason: Through a suit filed by a retired General, it was revealed that the law required that in a constitutional democracy, all Service Chiefs must be confirmed by the National Assembly before or after taking office! But the Defence Headquarters, through its lawyer, said the Constitution did not say so.

But this legal requirement has never been met since the May 29, 1999 democratic restoration.

This fact, now believed to be unknown to even the National Assembly, came to the fore via a Court record obtained and reported by The Guardian recently.

The matter, now under litigation, is actually contained in a suit filed by Major-General Ovo Adekegha against military authorities that purported to have retired him via an Army Council meeting reportedly held on February 11, 2008.

In the Suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/76/08 filed at the Federal High Court on March 18, 2008, against the Nigerian Army Council, the Honourable Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, the Permanent Secretary, (MoD), the plaintiff had sought for determination three questions:

• Whether the Defendants’ conclusion at the meeting of 11 February, 2008, concerning the commission of the plaintiff which resulted in the decision contained in the letter of 11 February, 2008 and the letter dated 14 March, 2008 was not inconsistent with the plaintiff’s Right to Fair Hearing guaranteed under Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and the Armed Forces Act CAP A20 Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

• Whether the composition of the Army Council, which met on 11 February, 2008 deliberated and resolved that the plaintiff resign his commission on disciplinary grounds was not in violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the 1999 and the Army Forces Act CAP A20 , Laws of the Federation 2004.

• Whether the Army Council under Section 9 of the Armed Forces Act CAP No A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999 has the power to remove compulsorily, retire and terminate the Commission of the plaintiff or any officer of the Nigerian Army.

The plaintiff had, therefore, sought some nine reliefs and declarations including a “A Declaration that the Nigerian Army Council as presently constituted is unconstitutional, illegal and cannot remove, retire or terminate the commission of the plaintiff under the Armed Forces Act CAP A20 Laws of the Federation, 2004.

Besides, the plaintiff (Adhekegba) sought a “Declaration that the findings and decisions of the Nigerian Army Council at its meeting of 11 February to the effect that the plaintiff’s conduct over the time has been pre-judicial to military discipline, therefore, should resign his commission or be compulsorily retired, is in violation of Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 is void and without any legal effect.”

The plaintiff also sought a “Declaration that full compliance with Section 18 of the Armed Forces Act with respect to the appointment of Chief of Army Staff (4th Defendant) is mandatory.”

Former Chief of Naval Staff Vice-Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye

Chiefs of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs since May 29, 1999 are as follows:

Chiefs of Defence Staff:

• Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi (Kogi State)

• General Alexander Ogomudia (Delta)

• General Martin Luther Agwai (Kaduna)

• General Andrew Owoye Azazi (Bayelsa)

Chiefs of Army Staff:

• Lt Gen Victor Malu (Benue)

• Gen Alexander Ogomudia (Delta)

• Gen Martin Luther Agwai (Kaduna)

• Gen Andrew Owoye Azazi (Bayelsa)

• Lt Gen Luka Yusuf (Kaduna)

Chiefs of the Naval Staff:

• Vice Admiral Victor Ombu (Bayelsa)

• Vice Admiral Samuel Afolanyan (Kwara)

• Vice Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye (Kwara)

Chiefs of the Air Staff:

• Air Marshal Isaac Alfa

• Air Marshal Jonah Wuyep (Plateau)

• Air Marshal Paul Dike (Delta)

All the Chiefs of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs before now were from the minority tribes. While Ogohi and Alfa are Igala, Ombu and Azazi are Ijaw.

Former Chief of Army Staff Lt-Gen Luka Yusuf

Malu is Tiv, Ogomudia is Isoko, Afolayan and Adekeye are from the Offa area of Kwara. Wuyep is from Plateau, Dike is from Delta North while Agwai and Yusuf are from the Kachia, southern Kaduna area.

Petinrin was born on January 19, 1955 at Ipeju Ijesa in Ori-Ade Local Council Area of Osun State. He did his primary and secondary schools in Osun State before he started his military career.

Petinrin enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on July 3, 1974 as member of Regular Course 16 and was commissioned Pilot Officer on January 3, 1977.

Air Vice Marshal Petinrin has attended several courses since he joined the military. From 1977 to 1978 he attended the Undergraduate Pilot Training in Laughlin Air Force Base and Fighter Pilot Lead-in-Training at Maxwell Air Force Base both in the United States of America where he qualified as a fighter pilot. In 1982 he attended a Flight Safety Course in Pakistan.

Petinrin also did his Junior Division Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji in 1980 and between 1982 and 1983, he attended the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, United States for his Senior Command Staff Course.

Petinrin is also a member of Course 10 of the prestigious National Defence College, Abuja, Nigeria. Some of the aircraft flown by Petinrin include. Bulldog, L29, Alfa Jet and Mig21.

Petinrin has held several command, staff and training appointments in the Nigerian Armed Forces. Between 1983 and 1985 he was the Officer Commanding B Squadron at the Air Defence Group, Maiduguri and thereafter became the Operations Officer in the same Unit. From 1986 to 1988, Petinrin was a Directing Staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji Kaduna. In 1988, he was appointed Military Assistant to the then Chief of the Air Staff and subsequently he was moved to Headquarters Training Command as Staff Officer 1 Operations in 1989.

Thereafter, Petinrin was posted to 99 Air Weapons School Kainji in 1991 as Group Operations Officer and later appointed Commander of the School from 1993 to 1994. He was also once the Director of Evaluation at Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force and later posted to National Defence College from 1988 to 2000 as a Directing Staff. During the period, Petinrin was also made the Director of National Military Strategy of the National Defence College. In 2005, Air Vice Marshal Petinrin was posted to Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Makurdi as Senior Air Staff Officer and thereafter, in 2007 he was moved to Defence Headquarters as the Director of Electronic Warfare. Subsequently, he was redeployed as the Chief of Defence Communications at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

Petinrin has received several awards and medals. He was first in order of merit on his graduation from NDA in 1974. He won the best Officer Cadet Award at his graduation from Primary Flying Training Wing Kaduna and was also Best Overall Foreign Student Pilot on his graduation from Undergraduate Pilot Training Course at Laughlin Air Force Base, United States of America.

Petinrin also bagged the Chief of Defence Staff Award as well as the Chief of the Air Staff Award on his graduation at the National Defence College. He also topped his Masters of Strategic Studies Class on graduation from the University of Ibadan. His other decorations include Forces Services Star, Meritorious Services Star and Defence Services star.

Petinrin is married and has four children. His hobbies include reading, jogging and playing squash.

Nigeria’s New Military Service Chiefs Promoted

Left to Right: Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, Lt-Gen Dambauzu, Vice-Admiral Ibrahim and Air Marshal Petinrin.

From http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=120530

New Service Chiefs Promoted

•Yar’Adua orders boards to ratify new ranks

By Collins Edomaruse, 08.24.2008

The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike has been promoted to the rank of Air Chief Marshal. He is the first in the 34-year history of the service to rise to the rank. The new rank is to be ratified this week by the Nigerian Air Force Board while his decoration by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua ‘follows immediately’.

This was contained in a statement yesterday by the Special Adviser to the President (Communi-cations), Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi.

He also said that, apart from the elevation of Dike, the three other service chiefs, Major-General A.B. Dambazau (Army), Rear Admiral Iko Ibrahim (Navy) and Air Vice-Marshall Okuseyi Petinrin (Air Force) have equally been promoted to their next ranks.

Their new ranks, according to Adeniyi, are to be ratified this week by their various service boards while their decorations will be done by Yar’Adua, who also ordered the ratification.

By implication, Dam-bazau is now a Lieutenant-General while Ibrahim and Petirin are Vice-Admiral and Air Marshal respectively.

Dike, second air force personnel to be appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in the last 10 years after Air Marshal Al-Amin Daggash (rtd), is the first 4-star general the service has produced.

Nigerian Military Chiefs Retired

From the Tribune:

YAR’ADUA REMOVES SERVICE CHIEFS – RETIRES AZAZI, YUSUF, ADEKEYE

Okey Muogbo and Chris Agbamgbu, Abuja – 21.08.2008

PRESIDENT Umaru Yar’Adua has appointed new service chiefs for the armed forces and also announced the retirement of the former service chiefs.

A statement signed by the Presidency said Air Marshal Paul Dike, former Chief of Air Staff, was appointed the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

Dike takes over from General Andrew Azazi who is retiring from service. According to the statement signed by the Special Assistant to the President on Communications, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, Major-General A.B. Dambazau, takes over from Lieutenant General Luka Yusuf as the Chief of Army Staff.

Until his new appointment, General Dambazau was the General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Rear Admiral Isaiah Iko Ibrahim was named Chief of Naval Staff, replacing Vice Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye, who also retired from service.

Until his appointment, Rear Admiral Ibrahim was the Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Training Command, Lagos.

Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin was appointed as Chief of Air Staff, the position formerly held by the new CDS, Paul Dike.

Air Marshal Petinrin was the Air Officer Commanding the Nigerian Air Force Training Command, Kaduna, before the new appointment.

The statement said the changes took immediate effect while President Yar’Adua and the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, had met with the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff and service chiefs to thank them for their services to the nation.

In a related development, the changes approved by President Yar’Adua have caused the postponment of the Defence Retreat scheduled to begin in Kaduna tomorrow until further notice.

A statement signed by Mr. Adeniyi said Alhaji Ahmed regretted inconveniences the postponement might cause those invited to the retreat, especially former heads of state and traditional rulers.

Meanwhile, President Yar’Adua left Abuja on Wednesday evening to perform the lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia.

RIBADU’S DEMOTION: CORRUPTION RULES

The news that former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss Nuhu Ribadu was demoted by two ranks should come as no surprise.  Ever since President Umaru Yar’Adua came to office there has been a concerted effort by Ribadu’s enemies to discredit him and destroy his influence.

The genesis of Ribadu’s ordeal can be traced back to his concerted campaign against corruption and dogged efforts to prosecute corrupt state Governors.  Being a state Governor in Nigeria is big business and a very convenient avenue for amassing wealth.  Some state Governors have budgets that are larger than the entire national budgets of other countries.  The Governors have shamelessly exploited their immunity from prosecution to loot their state treasuries.  However the Governors found a stubborn enemy in Ribadu.  Ribadu revealed that Nigeria had lost over $400 billion to corruption and looting by corrupt politicians.  Ribadu became a symbol of accountability when he began to expose the shady dealings of the politicians and prosecuting them, and circumvented the Governors’ immunity in Nigeria by having some of them arrested in foreign countries when they travelled abroad.  It seemed that the Governors were not safe anywhere.

If allowed to continue, Ribadu’s campaign could have drawn a line in the sand and been a watershed for Nigerian corruption.  He was hailed internationally for his brave fight against corruption and became the darling of the local and international press who feted him.  His anti-corruption campaign spurred investor confidence and gave Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight legitimacy.  A popular street phrase in Nigeria was that “the fear of Ribadu is the beginning of wisdom”. However the tide turned against Ribadu in 2007.

THE IBORI FACTOR

When several of the Governors’ term of office expired in 2007, their immunity from prosecution also expired.  Ribadu then struck.  He compiled a dossier on several corrupt Governors, had them arrested and began steps to prosecute them.  Those arrested included the powerful Governors of Abia and Delta States respectively, Orji Kalu and James Ibori.

In other countries Kalu and Ibori would be regarded as Mafia dons or gangsters.  Despite the fact that convicted criminals cannot be elected to office in Nigeria Ibori somehow managed to be elected Governor of Delta state.  Both Ibori and his wife Theresa had criminal records in the UK after they were convicted of stealing goods from the UK building store Wickes.  His wife Theresa was a cashier at the store and she colluded with her then boyfriend Ibori to steal items from the store.  Both of them were convicted of theft.  When Ibori became Governor of Delta State his small time theft turned into big time looting.  In oil rich but impoverished Delta State, Ibori used state funds to acquire a personal fortune and ostentatious wealth.  While the people of his state wallowed in poverty, Ibori used state funds to buy a fleet of luxury cars, a private jet, a solid gold mobile phone and luxury houses in opulent neighbourhoods of London.

THE AONDOAKAA FACTOR

When President Obasanjo’s term of office expired in 2007 and he was replaced by Umaru Yar’Adua, Ribadu became a marked man.  The efforts to discredit and remove Ribadu began when the new Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Michael Aondoakaa started a slogan of “due process” and used his office to block Ribadu’s prosecution of Governors.  He alleged that Governors were being prosecuted by Ribadu without “due process”. Then he claimed that Ribadu’s EFCC was subordinate to the Justice Ministry and such prosecutions could not take place without his (Aondoakaa’s) consent.

Matters came to a head when Aondoakaa personally wrote a letter to London’s Metropolitan police to block their attempt to prosecute Ibori in the UK for money laundering.  Aondoakaa refused to co-operate with the Metropolitan Police’s efforts to prosecute Ibori.  Ribadu was undaunted.  He had Ibori arrested in December 2007.  The EFCC also alleged that Ibori offered them a massive bribe to drop the case against him.  An EFCC official claimed that they tape recorded the offer by Ibori.  By attempting to prosecute Ibori, Ribadu stepped on powerful toes and went too far in the eyes of Nigeria’s corrupt elite.  Ibori is a leading member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party and bankrolled Yar’Adua’s election campaign.  It was then that they began plotting Ribadu’s downfall.

Less than three weeks after Ibori’s arrest, Ribadu was removed from his post as EFCC boss.  See: http://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/2008/01/14/ribadus-removal-i-smell-a-rat/.  The pretext was that Ribadu needed to attend a course at Nigeria’s National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).  A few weeks after Ribadu’s removal the corruption charges against former Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye were dropped and Ibori was granted bail.

http://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/nigerian-corruption-back-to-its-old-ways/

DEMOTION: ANOTHER HUMILIATION FOR RIBADU

Last week the Police Service Commission, (PSC), ordered the demotion of Ribadu and 138 other police officers promoted under the previous administration of President Obasanjo.  Once again the “due process” card was played and it was alleged that the promotions were carried out without due process.  Ribadu was demoted two ranks from Assistant Inspector General to Deputy Commissioner of Police.  The demotion now throws up an academic issue of whether he is senior enough (in his new rank) to continue with his course at the NIPSS.  The NIPSS course is only for officers of the rank of at least Assistant Inspector General.

YAR’ADUA: SILENT ACCOMPLICE

A silent accomplice in all this is the President Umaru Yar’Adua who has failed to rein in his renegade Attorney-General Aondoakaa, and who has allowed Nigeria’s corrupt politicians to run dishonest circles around him.  Yar’Adua’s own moral authority is degraded by the fact that he came to office after a rigged election financed by Ibori.  Many of the Governors being prosecuted are also from Yar’Adua’s PDP party.

Can Ribadu salvage himself?  He could call the government’s bluff and resign in protest at his treatment.  That would make him a martyr and the victim of a witch-hunt.  For now though it seems that Nigeria’s fight against corruption has taken several backward steps.

Footage From Yar’Adua’s Visit to the UK

President Yar’Adua visited the UK recently. Here is some video footage of (a) he and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown speaking to the press, and (b) outlining his economic agenda for Nigeria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPbFiVhjVMw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6szcPOx7q4o&feature=related

On an unrelated topic, Yar’Adua unwittingly got himself involved in one of US President George Bush’s typical off the cuff remarks….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbwR5hiq_LU&NR=1

ISAAC ADAKA BORO AND NIGER DELTA MILITANCY

Niger Delta armed insurrection did not begin with MEND, Okah or Asari-Dokubo.  Decades before them an Ijaw nationalist named Isaac Boro led an armed campaign for greater Niger Delta autonomy, resource control and self determination for the inhabitants of the Niger Delta.  So who was Boro, and what was his story?

The Background of Isaac Adaka Boro

Boro was an Ijaw nationalist that burned within with passionate zeal to remedy the injustice that minority ethnicities in the Delta suffered in a Nigerian state dominated by the large ethnic groups.  Boro noted that “most of the youths were so frustrated with the general neglect that they were ready for any action led by an outstanding leader to gain liberty…. we were clenched in tyrannical chains and led through a dark alley of perpetual political and social deprivation. Strangers in our own country! Inevitably, therefore, the day would have to come for us to fight for our long-denied right to self-determination”. He complained at the economic and material neglect of the Niger Delta:

“Economic development of the area is certainly the most appalling aspect. There is not even a single industry. The only fishery industry which ought to be situated in a properly riverine area is sited about 80 miles inland at Aba. The boatyard at Opobo had its headquarters at Enugu … Personnel in these industries and also in the oil stations are predominantly non-Ijaw,”

After briefly working as a teacher Boro joined the police and worked in Port Harcourt.  However Boro’s maverick nature saw him go AWOL and start working as an instructor at the Man O’War Bay Character and Leadership Center in Victoria, Western Cameroon.  He was fired from his police job for going AWOL.

Upon his return to Nigeria Boro enrolled at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to study chemistry.  While there he became president of the students’ union.  His itchy feet managed to stay at university for two years before he once again departed, this time on a tour to solicit support for the Ijaw cause.  His journey saw him head to Ghana (in the company of Samuel Owonaru) to solicit financial aid for his mission to liberate and gain self autonomy for the people of the Niger Delta.  He was also an admirer of Cuban leader Fidel Castro and made a stop at the Cuban embassy in Ghana to claim solidarity.  However Boro and Owonaru’s appeals for Cuban support were unsuccessful and they were ejected from the embassy.

However Boro was not dissuaded.  He and Owonaru returned home and with their comrade Nottingham Dick, and began to recruit young men to their cause under the umbrella of an organisation known as the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF).  They eventually set up a military camp at Taylor Creek.  Their recruits were given training in the use of firearms and explosives in the creeks and bushes.  Dick served as the “chief of army staff” and “adjutant”.  Eventually they managed to muster a force of about 150 men split into three “divisions”.

ARMED CONFLICT

On February 23, 1966 the three divisions moved out from their Touton Ban camp with Boro, Onwonaru and Dick as their divisional commanders.  Before going into battle the troops were given a rallying call:

“ Today is a great day, not only in your lives, but also in the history of the Niger Delta. Perhaps, it will be the greatest day for a very long time. This is not because we are going to bring the heavens down, but because we are going to demonstrate to the world what and how we feel about oppression….Remember your 70 year old grandmother who still farms to eat, remember also your poverty stricken people and then, remember too, your petroleum which is being pumped out daily from your veins, and then fight for your freedom”.

The NDVF men attacked a police station at Yenagoa, raided the armoury and kidnapped some officers including the police officer in command of the station. They also blew up oil pipelines, engaged the police in a gunfight and declared the Niger Delta an independent republic. The revolt was suppressed and Boro, Owonaru and Dick were put on trial on a 9 count charge of treason at Port Harcourt Assizes before Judge Phil Ebosie.  Boro was found guilty.  Before sentencing Boro made an impassioned plea of defiance.  He claimed that his people:

“had long sought a separate state not because they loved power but because their conditions were peculiar and the authorities did not understand their problems.  There is nothing wrong with Nigeria.  What is wrong with us is the total lack of mercy in our activities.”

DEATH AND BEYOND

Despite his plea Boro was sentenced to death by hanging.  In the melee of crisis and conflict in 1966 Nigeria, the sentence was not carried out and he was pardoned by then Nigerian Head of State General Gowon.  When war broke out in 1967, Boro surprisingly enlisted and fought on the side of the federal Nigerian forces against whom he campaigned.  He was killed in action on May 17, 1968 aged just 32.  He was buried in Lagos at the Ikoyi cemetery.  His widow Georeie Deyeha Adaka Boro is still alive.  She was pregnant with their child Deborah when her husband was killed, and gave birth to Deborah after her husband’s death.